(UPDATED) Riots Happening Now in Baltimore, Hours After Funeral for Freddie Gray

Police encounter riots in Baltimore after the funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died in police custody this month.

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Just hours after the funeral for 25-year-old Freddie Gray, the city of Baltimore is experiencing serious riots, with at least seven police officers hurt in the clash so far.

Gray died of mysterious spinal injuries on April 13, after he was arrested by Baltimore police the night before. An attorney contracted by the Gray family found that Gray's spine was severely injured. The Associated Press reported that 12 people were arrested yesterday, protesting for justice for Gray. An investigation by the Department of Justice is ongoing. 

Riots began today around 4 p.m., after a two-hour funeral service was held for Gray. According to the Associated Press, around 2 p.m., just after the funeral service ended, the University of Maryland shut down its campus. This comes the same day that the Baltimore Police Department issued a statement saying it has reason to believe three notoriously violent gangs are a "credible threat" to the Baltimore law enforcement official, although it is unclear if their announcement had to do with the death of Gray.

The AP reported that people began throwing rocks at police officers dressed in riot gear around 4 p.m. Helicopter footage showed that people throwing rocks at the police, and some were seen looting a CVS. According to WBAL TV, the local television station in Baltimore, some protestors are trying to loot more stores, and breaking into a bank. 

Captain Eric Kowalczyk told NPR News that seven officers have been injured in the riots, and at latest, one is unresponsive. "This is not OK," said Kowalczyk. "We will find these people who are responsible and we will put them in jail."

One person tweeted video footage that showed a police officer throwing a brick at protestors. 

At present time, riots are continuing in the streets of Baltimore. WBAL TV has live coverage of the events.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m. : Governor Larry Hogan releases a statement where he mentions that he has put the National Guard on alert. 

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UPDATE 6:50 p.m.: President Obama has spoken to Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

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UPDATE 7:11 p.m. : Governor Hogan has declared a state of emergency. He will hold a press conference later tonight at 8:30 P.M. along with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford and National Guard Adjutant General Linda Singh.

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UPDATE 8:00 p.m.: Mayor Rawlings-Blake instates a citywide curfew beginning tomorrow, potentially lasting for a week.

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UPDATE 8:49 p.m.: Baltimore public schools will be closed tomorrow.

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UPDATE 8:56 p.m.

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UPDATE 9:00 p.m.: Newly sworn-in Attorney General Loretta Lynch has released a statement regarding the situation in Baltimore.

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UPDATE 9:15 p.m.: Baltimore United for Change, a coalition of the city's community groups has released a statement addressing the unrest.

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“It has been 15 days since Freddie Gray was stuffed into a Baltimore Police Department van and no officer, elected official or agency has taken any responsibility for his subsequent death or the policies that allow it to stand.



Therefore, we continue to witness the further erosion of the already broken relationship between Black communities and law enforcement.

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The truth is that our region’s elected officials have not seen it as politically useful to act on the long-standing issues of police violence in Black communities. What we are witnessing today is the crossing of a tipping point by communities that have remained unheard for far too long.

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The Baltimore Police Department is employing aggressive and heavy-handed tactics on Black youth who have not accepted the platitudes or spin being offered from our region’s leaders.

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The same Baltimore Police Department skirting responsibility for the death of Freddie Gray is now trying to sell our city a narrative where gangs have issued a “unified threat” against police officers. The NYPD tried that tactic in December and it remains unproven. What we have seen is an unprecedented truce between rival gangs which is in the best interest of our communities. For us, the greatest threat is from law enforcement.

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Stoking the flames of fear won’t get our city out of this. More explanations about what isn’t possible will not get our city out of this. Increasing militarized crackdowns will only serve to further diminish Baltimore’s hope of meeting the challenge of eradicating police violence.

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Our region’s leaders must take decisive action to end Baltimore’s dangerous addiction to broken law enforcement policies that ruin communities, tear apart families and cost lives.”

UPDATE 9:20 p.m.

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UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: In addition to the National Guard, 5,000 law enforcement officials will be called in from the mid-Atlantic region to control the riots, according to Col. Darryl D. DeSousa of the Baltimore Police Department. He also said fifteen police officers have been injured so far, while two remain hospitalized. Over two dozen people have been arrested.

UPDATE 9:42 p.m.: The Washington Post reports that the multi-million dollar senior center which caught on fire earlier is reportedly not related to the riots.

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UPDATE 10:05 p.m.

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UPDATE 10:42 p.m.: One person's on the ground account of the scene at Baltimore. 

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UPDATE 10:53 p.m.:  

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